Photochemical: The active properties
of Garlic depend on a pungent, volatile, essential
oil, which may readily be obtained by distillation
with water. It is a sulphide of the radical
Allyl, present in all the onion family. This
oil is rich in sulphur, but contains no oxygen.
The peculiar penetrating odor of Garlic is due
to this intensely smelling sulphuret of allyl.
Garlic contains three S-alkylcysteine sulphoxides
capable of producing thiosulphinates. Ajoene
-Originally discovered after incubation
of chopped garlic in methanol with remarkable
activity towards inhibition of blood platelet
aggregation.Allicin - A pungent oil,
yellow brown in colour. Alliin - Alliin or S-2-propenylcysteine
sulphoxide constitutes approximately 85% of
the three sulphoxides

Central nervous system: An infusion
of the bruised bulbs, given before and after
every meal, has been considered of good effect
in epilepsy.

Cardiovascular system: it lowers
down blood cholesterol and is effectively
useful in high blood pressure.

Respiratory system: Syrup of Garlic
is an invaluable medicine for asthma, hoarseness,
coughs, difficulty of breathing, and most
other disorders of the lungs, being of particular
virtue in chronic bronchitis, on account of
its powers of promoting expectoration. It
has been proved to relieve whooping cough
if rubbed on the chest and between the shoulder
blades. Laryngeal tuberculosis is relieved
on using garlic. Inhalation of garlic is useful
in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Digestive system: it is used in
intestinal worms, amoebic dysentery, flatulence
and indigestion. Duodenal ulcers have been
treated with lasun. It is useful in atonic
dyspepsia and colic.

Skin: it is widely employed in the
control of suppuration in wounds. The raw
juice is expressed, diluted with water, and
put on swabs of sterilized Sphagnum moss,
which are applied to the wound. Garlic was
employed as a specific for leprosy. It was
also believed that it had most beneficial
results in cases of smallpox, if cut small
and applied to the soles of the feet in a
linen cloth, renewed daily. It is sometimes
externally applied in ointments and lotions,
and as an antiseptic, to disperse hard swellings,
also pounded and employed as a poultice for
scrofulous sores.

Hair Garlic in a quart of proof
spirit is a good stimulant lotion for baldness
of the head.

Genito- urinary system: locally
it is used in vaginitis and leucorrhea. It
is also a mild emmanogogue.

Musculoskeletal system: A clove or
two of Garlic, pounded with honey and taken
two or three nights successively, is good
in rheumatism

Ear: it is used as eardrops in earache
and deafness.

Garlic as lipid lowering agent - a Meta
analysisThe largest study so far was conducted in
Germany where 261 patients from 30 general practices
were given either garlic powder tablets or a
placebo. After 12-week treatments period mean
serum cholesterol levels dropped by 12% in the
garlic treated group and triglycerides dropped
by 17% compared to the placebo group.

Silagy CS, Neil HAW, 1994, The Journal
of the Royal College of Physicians, Vol
28 No 1:39-45

Garlic and Pregnancy New research shows that taking garlic during
pregnancy can cut the risk of pre-eclampsia
(raised blood pressure and protein retained
in the urine). Studies reveal that garlic may
help to boost the birth-weight of babies destined
to be too small. The research was carried out
by Dr D Sooranna, Ms J Hirani and Dr I Das in
the Academic Department of Obstetrics’ &
Gynecology at the Chelsea & Westminster
Hospital in London UK. Experiments by the research
team showed that adding extracts of garlic to
cells from the placenta of women likely to suffer
from these conditions was able to quickly stimulate
growth. Furthermore, the activities of key enzymes
that are reduced in the abnormal pregnancies
were significantly increased when garlic was
added.

Garlic and CancerResearchers in Pennsylvania have shown that
by injecting a compound called diallyl disulphide
(formed when raw garlic is cut or crushed) tumors
can be reduced by half and that a further compound
(S-Allylcysteine) can stop cancer causing agents
from binding to human breast cells.

Recent findings support a growing body of evidence
that garlic works as an anti-carcinogen in both
prevention and treatment, and that garlic and
related foods play an important dietary role
in the cancer process. For instance, scientists
have correlated garlic intake with reduced nitrite
levels in people and fewer deaths from stomach
cancer are recorded

Garlic and Impotence

Garlic has always been known as an aphrodisiac
and from a medical point of view it can improve
blood circulation significantly. Now it appears
that an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase
(NOS) is primarily responsible for the mechanism
of erection. Studies have recently shown that
garlic in certain forms can stimulate the production
of NOS particularly in individuals who have
low levels of this enzyme

Garlic as an antibioticGarlic is the only antibiotic that can actually
kill infecting bacteria and at the same time
protect the body from the poisons that are causing
the infection. It is known that the most sensitive
bacterium to garlic is the deadly Bacillus anthracis
that produces the poison anthrax. Mycobacterium
tuberculosis is also sensitive to several of
the sulphur components found in garlic.

Garlic in claudication

Study in Circulation, the prestigious journal
sponsored by the American Heart Association,
suggests that garlic may help maintain the elasticity
of aging blood vessels. (Blood vessels, like
old rubber bands, lose their stretchiness with
time. This is why many elderly people have high
blood pressure.) In the Circulation study, the
average garlic intake was five; 100-milligram
tablets (a little less than half a medium garlic
clove) a day.